Iowa Traction & Iowa Terminal(and Precessors)
|  Robert Ball photo | |||
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In the arena of sustainable logistics and reduced carbon footprints, the Iowa Traction Railroad is a star performer. It also has the distinction of being the only electrified all-freight common carrier rail-line in the United States. Moreover, the historic 10.4-mile railroad still today relies on a fleet of four 100-year-old electric locomotives, all of which were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania. To borrow a term from major league baseball, you need a scorecard to keep track of the railroad's ownership lineage which dates back to 1896. Initially, the operation was known as the Mason City and Clear Lake Railway, followed by:
A major fire and tornado during the 1960s, along with tough economic times in the 1970s and 1980s led the railroad to cutback its operatop to the original five-mile segment between Mason City and Emery, which is the current site of the car-barn. The railroad interchanges with both the Union Pacific and CPKC in Mason City. Iowa Traction is a neat little railroad where time has stood still. | |
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| Iowa Traction Photos |
Iowa Terminal Photos |
 IATR #50 at Mason City, IA on 20 June 2019 (Ken Schmidt photo) |
 Iowa Term. #30 at Mason City, IA date unknown (Terry Spirek photo) |
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 IATR #51 at Mason City, IA on 20 June 2019 (Ken Schmidt photo) |
 Iowa Term. at Mason City, IA on 12 July 1982 |
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 IATR #60 at Mason City, IA on 30 September 2013 (Nick Benson photo) |
 Iowa Term. #53 at Mason City, IA on xx xxx 19xx (Jamie Strain photo) |
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 IATR #727 near Emery IA on 9 October 2010 (Jeff Terry photo)  Iowa Term. #100 at Mason City, IA on 12 August 1967(Roger Puta photo) | |
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| Mason City & Clear Lake RR |
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 MC&CL 50 (1st) at Mason City (Hank Zaletel photo) |
 MC&CL #52 at ???? City ( ?????? photo / "photolibrarian" collection) |
| Date: 1 February 2026 | Formatted by: R. Craig | |||||
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| ELECTRICS | ||||||
| Iowa Traction | Iowa Terminal | Model | Bldr. | Bldr # | Date | Notes |
| -- | 3 | 13-Ton Steeple Cab | McG-C | -- | 1911 | Ex-MC&CL 102 |
| -- | 30 | 35-Ton Steeple Cab | McG-C | -- | 1915 | Ex-CCW 300 |
| -- | 31 | 39-Ton Steeple Cab | Cincinnati Car | 2605 | 1922 | Ex-CNS&M 216 |
| -- | 33 | 39-Ton Steeple Cab | Cincinnati Car | 2605 | 1927 | Ex-CNS&M 234 |
| -- | 50 (1st) | 50-Ton Steeple Cab | Oklahoma Rwy | -- | 1929 | Ex-MC&CL 50 |
| 50 | 50 (2nd) | 50-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 53748 | 1920 | Ex-Iowa Term. 53 < KCKV 507 < CRANDIC 58 < nee W&OD 50 |
| 51 | 51 | 50-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 54748 | 1921 | Ex-CRANDIC 57 < nee NEO 2 |
| 52 | 52 | 55-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 52689 | 1919 | Destroyed by fire; ex-KCKV 506 < CRANDIC 58 < nee NEO 1 |
| -- | 53 (1st) | -- | -- | -- | -- | (see Iowa Traction #50) |
| 53 | 53(2nd) | 55-Ton Steeple Cab | Texas Electric | -- | 1928 | Mason City Division < nee CCW 303 |
| 54 | 52 (2nd) | 50-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 56538 | 1923 | Ex-Southern Iowa Rwy 400 |
| 60 | -- | 60-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 45659 | 1917 | Ex-Iowa Term. 2 < nee MC&CL 52 |
| -- | 61 | 60-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 41054 | 1913 | ExMC&CL 53 |
| -- | 62 | 42-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 28042 | 1907 | Ex-GRR 224 < nee GP&H 20 |
| -- | 70 | 48-Ton Steeple Cab | Baldwin | 24210 | 1904 | Ex-GP&H Box Cab 222/10 < nee P&B #? |
| -- | 80 | 83-Ton Steeple Cab | Preston | -- | 1921 | Ex-GRR 226 |
| -- | 81 | 82-Ton Steeple Cab | Preston | -- | 1921 | Ex-LE&N 337 |
| -- | 100 | Interurban Combine | McG-C | -- | 1914 | Ex-WCF&N 100 |
| -- | 101 | Interurban | McG-C | -- | 1915 | Ex-CCW 50 |
| 727 | 102 | Interurban | CCC | -- | 1926 | Ex-CNSM 727 |
| DIESELS | ||||||
| -- | 20 | 25-Ton | GE | 13089 | 4/1941 | Ex-CCW 200 |
| -- | 45 | 43-Ton | GE | 12502 | 4/1939 | Ex-CCW 201; went to Mound City Terminal 1; then to Danville Industries |
| -- | 65 | 65-Ton | GE | 31549 | 4/1952 | Ex-Hooker Chemical 4 |
| -- | 75 | 70-Ton | GE | 29090 | 9/1947 | Ex-Marianna & Blountstown 75 |
| -- | 76 | 70-Ton | GE | 31728 | 6/1953 | Ex-Tidewater Southern 743 |
Abbreviations:
Sources:
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